When One Jinchuuriki Raises Another
by pathetic-really
Summary: After his master's betrayal Utakata fled to Konoha, hoping to hide in plain sight as a civilian. He had no idea how he ended up working in a ramen shop and rooming with a hyper-active blonde boy. UTAKATA/NARUTO MENTOR FIC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: this, this I do not own**

**When one Jinchuuriki Raises Another.**

**Chapter One**

**A/N: Alright, so how's this for an idea? Ya' know I actually don't think anyone else has written and Utakata/Naruto mentor fic. **

**Anyway a brief clarification: I'm not sure if they ever say Utakata's age in either the manga or the anime so just judging by his appearance (which, admittedly can be misleading in anime) I'd say he was probably mid-twenties. So given the time adjustment and my crappy math he is nineteen and Naruto is ten in this story. also i apologize if Utakata is OOC in this story. You don't really get much from him except stoic and calm, I think that the manga described him as charming at one point...but uh, they don't really give you much to work with so...yeah **

_Summary: After his master's betrayal Utakata fled to Konoha, hoping to hide in plain sight as a civilian. He didn't expect to end up working in a ramen shop and rooming with a hyper-active blonde boy. Utakata/Naruto mentor fic._

* * *

Utakata walked through the front gates of Konoha, marveling at how lax their security was. He had just been allowed to walk in; the two shinobi guarding the gate hadn't even spared him a glance. It was almost the polar opposite of his home village. In Kirigakure everyone who came through the gate, whether they were a well-known shinobi or an anonymous civilian, was searched, interrogated, and checked for any transformation or mind-control jutsu. And the process was thorough; it always added fifteen to twenty minutes to anyone's journey. The number of times that he had been late to meet his master—an arc of pain shot through his heart at the thought of Harusame and he promptly killed that train of thought.

His stomach growled and he seized onto the sound, grateful for the distraction. After a quick check to make sure he had enough money for a cheap meal he set off in search of a restaurant. He felt oddly naked without his flak jacket and headband but he reminded himself that it was all necessary. He had come to Konoha to hide from the hunter-nin that would no doubt be sent after him once again and walking around in full Kiri ninja regalia would be rather counter-productive.

Thankfully he didn't have to be particularly worried about being attacked by hunter-nin while he was inside the walls of the village. If Kirigakure sent any of its active ninja into Konoha without the express permission of the Hokage it would be a small step away from an act of war. Utakata just hoped that none of Konohakagure's shinobi recognized him. He didn't _think_ he was in any bingo books and he couldn't remember the last time he had encountered any of the village's shinobi but it never hurt to be careful, which was why he would do his best to stick to the civilian areas.

'_Konoha really is different.' _He mused, navigating his way through the throngs of civilians. One man bumped into him, cursed at him and stumbled away drunkenly. _'How do they stand having all these civilians around?'_

While it was not the horror that many of the other hidden villages made it out to be, Kiri was much more militant than others. The majority of citizens were shinobi and the only civilians that lived there were the ones that ran the restaurants or worked as…less reputable members of society (i.e. prostitutes). It was slightly surreal for Utakata to walk through all these people, none of them wearing ninja gear or smelling like blood and death. It was actually pretty nice. Another drunk bumped into him and muttered something that made Utakata's face heat up. Maybe it wasn't that nice after all.

* * *

It took him about ten minutes to find someplace to eat. He had passed several restaurants already but he hadn't even bothered to ask how much a meal would cost. They had radiated the fancy aura that screamed 'Utakata, eat here and we'll suck your wallet dry!' The place he had decided on was a small shop called Ichiraku Ramen. As he watched, a small blonde boy raced in and, a moment later, an older man stormed out. They passed each other on the road as Utakata headed towards the noodle stand and the older man grabbed his arm.

"You don't want to go in there, friend." The man's breath smelled like sake and cigarette smoke. Utakata began to wonder if every civilian in the village was a drunk. The golden eyed teen roughly pulled his arm from the man's grip, annoyed that the man had had the nerve to grab him at all.

The older man must have noticed his annoyance because he gave him a gruff apology and then leaned in, as if he were imparting a great secret. "You don't want to go in there, friend." He repeated, "The fox boy is in there."

Utakata lifted an eyebrow in question, "Fox boy?"

"Yeah," the man pulled a disgusted face and spat onto the ground, "the demon brat. Hokage just lets it walk around like it's human. We should've killed it after what it did to our village."

Utakata took a step away from the drunken man, mind working overtime. His mind had always been sharp, making quick connections, and it was no different now. Blonde boy walks into restaurant and, presumably, the only other customer leaves. Man calls boy "fox boy", "demon brat" and "it".

'…_should've killed it after what it did to our village.'_

'…_what 'it' did.'_

'_Fox…demon… it.'_

Several years ago news had reached Kiri that Konoha had been attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Fourth Hokage had died whilst killing the beast, or so the story went. Utakata, being the jinchuuriki for the Rokubi, knew better than anyone that a Biju couldn't be killed. It could only be sealed and, if the man's attitude towards the boy was any indication, Utakata would bet his last ten Yen coin that the blonde boy was the jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails.

Utakata turned and walked away from the man without a word, a scowl marring his usually impassive face. Konohakagure was touted across the land as a 'progressive' ninja village. Not only was it a major military power but it was also 'open minded' and 'tolerant'.

"_Tolerant…right," _The teen snorted irritably, _"They're so tolerant that even Kiri treats their jinchuuriki better. I mean, the Yondaime Mizukage himself was a jinchuuriki... Although that may not have been the best idea seeing as he turned out to be a crazy child-sized tyrant.'_ His thoughts turned back to the drunk man'_What a disgusting man, calling a child 'it', no one deserves that.'_

Still quietly seething about the man's disgusting attitude, Utakata stepped inside Ichiraku Ramen. Sighing contentedly at the smell of food, he removed his traveling pack from his back and set it on the floor. He took a seat on the stool nearest to him, only a seat or two away from the Kyuubi jinchuuriki who was inhaling ramen faster than he could believe.

An old man with short graying hair and a paper hat came out of the back of the shop and placed another bowl of ramen in front of the blonde. When he saw Utakata he smiled brightly.

"Well hi there," he said jovially, "what can I get you?"

Utakata thought for a moment. Ramen wasn't a big food in Kirigakure; predictably the dietary staple of the sea-surrounded island was sea food. The brunette teen hadn't actually had ramen before. He knew what it was, of course, but he had never had a chance to try it. After taking a brief glance at the restaurant's menu he decided to go with lime shrimp ramen, just to be on the safe side. As the older man went into the back to prepare his meal Utakata passed the time by taking a mental inventory of the money he had left and how he could best maximize its effectiveness. Quite obviously he needed to find a place to stay (probably in the low income part of the village seeing as it would cost less) and he needed to get a job (for obvious reasons).

He was in the middle of figuring out if he would be able to get an apartment and have enough money left over to eat when a cheery and childish voice pulled him out of his musing.

"Hey, hey mister, are you new here? I haven't seen you around before."

Utakata turned to look at the source of the voice and was met by a pair of brilliant blue eyes. At some point the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki had moved from his own stool and sat down next to him.

"Yes, I'm new here. I just arrived in Konoha less than an hour ago."

"I thought so," the boy said confidently, "I recognize everyone who comes to Ichiraku 'ttebayo."

"Really? You must eat here quite a lot."

"Every chance I get 'ttebayo."

The old man emerged from the back and set a steaming bowl in front of Utakata. His stomach growled at the smell and he broke apart his chopsticks, eager to dig in.

"I couldn't help overhearing from the back, but did you say you just arrived in Konoha?"

Utakata finished the food that was in his mouth and took a moment to think. The cover story he had thought up on his journey flashed through his mind and he nodded, "Yes, I just arrived."

"That's nice. Where are you from originally, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm from the Land of Water. I decided I'd travel a bit, see the world," he gestured to his traveling pack, "but I started to run low on funds. I figured I'd stop by Konoha and see if I couldn't find a job, work a while and refill my wallet."

The old man laughed, "It's good to see a young man that wants to work, seems like youngsters get lazier every generation. I'm Teuchi by the way."

He held out a large hand. Utakata shook it and introduced himself.

"Hey, hey Utakata, do you know who I am?" the blonde asked, nearly bouncing in his seat from hyper-activity.

A slim eyebrow rose in polite question, "No, should I?"

"Mou, how do you not recognize the greatest prankster in Konoha? How do you not recognize the next Hokage?" the boy pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I just arrived in Konoha…remember?"

Naruto sweat dropped, "Oh….yeah…heheh…sorry about that."

"Say, Utakata-san if you need a job my daughter and I could use a hand around the shop. Business has been picking up lately and we've been feeling a bit overwhelmed."

Utakata was stunned by the sudden offer, "That's very kind Teuchi-san but I don't know how to make ramen. I couldn't-" He tried to be as polite as possible, not wanting to be rude to the kind old man but definitely not wanting to put himself into the embarrassing position of massacring an innocent bowl of ramen.

"Oh that's not a problem," Teuchi flapped a hand, waving the problem away, "We can always teach you. Until then you can just work the front. Take orders, fill drinks, and work the cash register, stuff like that."

"That's incredibly kind but I'm not sure—"

"Oh nonsense," Teuchi cut him off again, managing to sound stern without dropping his jovial smile; "if anything you'd be doing me a favor. We can barely keep up with the pace that Naruto eats; we're completely swamped when more than one person is in here."

"Well…alright. Thank-you Teuchi-san."

"Don't mention it Utakata-kun."

Utakata finished eating in a daze as Teuchi and Naruto made small talk. He hadn't even been in Konoha for two hours, how in the world had he managed to get a job already? Everything had happened so fast…he had tried to turn the man down politely hadn't he? He distinctly remembered saying that he didn't know how to make ramen but now he had a job working at a ramen stand? How did that make sense? Vaguely, Utakata wondered if everything he experienced in Konoha would be this strange.

The brunette cleared his throat to catch Teuchi's attention, "Excuse me, Teuchi-san, would you happen to know where I could find a cheap apartment that I could stay at?"

Naruto interjected before Teuchi could answer, "You can stay with me for a couple days 'ttebayo."

"Really?"

"Sure," the boy grinned foxily, "think of it as early repayment for all the free ramen you're gonna give me."

Utakata blinked, "I'm going to give you free ramen?"

"Of course, 'ttebayo."

Golden eyes blinked again. He could feel a headache starting beneath his temples. So now he was staying in the apartment of Konoha's jinchuuriki and paying rent with…ramen?

The teen hefted his travelling pack onto his back and followed the blonde boy into the street. Two yelling green blurs raced by with enough speed to ruffle his hair. He heard something about "spring" and "youth" drift back to him on the wind.

Yeah, Konoha was definitely going to be strange.

* * *

**A/N: and that's the first chapter, what do you think? **

**Reviews would be super loved and appreciated.**

'**night,**

**Pathetic-really.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**When One Jinchuuriki Raises Another**

**Utakata's first day in Konoha**

* * *

When Utakata was around sixteen a fellow Kiri shinobi had introduced him to the magical drink that was coffee. At the time it had seemed like a god-send. He had always had trouble waking up in the morning and a couple cups of coffee would pull him right out his post- awakening zombie state. Overtime his tolerance for caffeine had grown and now it usually took almost an entire pot to fully de-zombie him. This was, of course, a rather bad habit for a nuke-nin to have, seeing as no enemy (especially hunter-nin) would just wait around for you to sate your morning caffeine addiction. That was one of the reasons Utakata was happy to be inside a village, he finally had time to enjoy his coffee in peace. However after this morning…Utakata shuddered so violently that anyone who saw it might have thought it was supposed to be theatrical.

_Flashback:_

_Utakata sat at Naruto's rather second hand kitchen table, slumped over in a position that would have made him the laughing stock of Kirigakure's entire shinobi force. His hair was a bedraggled mess and his golden eyes still had the half-closed and glazed look of someone who was, for all intents and purposes, still asleep. A freshly brewed pot of coffee sat on the table in front of him (he kept all the necessary containers and ingredients for coffee in a storage scroll marked 'essential shinobi supplies' that was never far from his person) and he clutched a mug of the steaming black liquid with both hands. He had spent a restless night on Naruto's couch and, if he didn't have his pride, he would be drinking the coffee straight from the pot. He was so tired that he didn't even notice as Naruto reached out a curious hand towards the coffee pot…_

He shuddered again, feeling immensely sorry for the Academy's teachers.

* * *

Utakata picked at the hem of his t-shirt, wondering how civilians wore these clothes day in and day out. They were incredibly stuffy when compared to his kimono or the long sleeve shirt he had used to wear underneath his flak jacket. The shirt barely let any air through and it _bothered_ him.

Earlier that day, right after the shops had opened; he had purchased several plain, solid colored, shirts from a store's clearance rack after deciding that kimono was too noticeable. It took roughly ten minutes seeing as he was just shopping for t-shirts (he had noticed that almost everyone, civilian and shinobi alike, wore the standard capri-like shinobi pants and decided wearing his old pair would not arouse suspicion). Now, clad in a black t-shirt and grey shinobi pants, he could safely say that he looked like a civilian.

An uncomfortable civilian with slightly itchy clothes, but a civilian none-the-less.

He turned onto another street, feeling relieved as he saw Ichiraku in the distance. He had begun to worry that he wouldn't be able to find the ramen stand again in the mass of people.

'_oof'_ Utakata stumbled back as something collided with his stomach, knocking the air out of him. Out of reflex he reached for his kunai pouch, only to remember that he had left it in his traveling pack. He whipped around, trying to see what had hit him, mind racing. The only people that would have attacked him were hunter-nin and if that was some sort of jutsu that hit him then it didn't do whatever it was supposed to. They must be amateurs. Utakata scowled, which was as close to snarling as he ever got, Kiri must be slipping if they thought amateurs could handle him. This all took place in about two seconds and then his train of thought was completely derailed as he saw what had probably left a bruise on his stomach.

A short kid, wearing a white t-shirt and orange pants, was racing down the road, side-by-side with a brown haired boy with a puppy on his head.

'_Nartuo?'_

"Naruto! Kiba! Get back here right now!" a livid looking man with a scar stretching across his nose rushed past, face bright red with rage and brown hair streaked with pink

'_What the?" _Utakata quirked an eyebrow slightly, wondering why a Chuunin (judging by his flak jacket) was chasing Naruto,'_Oh right, Naruto's the 'greatest prankster in Konoha.' That must have been an Academy teacher then…it's impressive that Naruto can evade him like that. Admittedly most Academy teachers aren't the best shinobi but they _are_ still shinobi. For a little kid to be that good at avoiding them… it either says good things about Naruto or bad things about the sensei.'_

There was a small explosion and a scream. The two boys raced past him again, laughing wildly. The teacher was close behind, looking even angrier and more absurd with his hair now full of blue paint as well as pink. He was ranting under his breath. To Utakata's amusement he realized that the teacher was using 'child friendly' swears in place of the real ones.

"Those gosh-darn kids. What the heck were they thinking setting off a darn paint bomb in the classroom? This is completely freakin' ridiculous…"

Utakata was again struck by the differences between the village he came from and the village he was in. There were no pranksters in Kirigakure's academy, none that lasted very long at any rate. Deception, lies, and betrayal were accepted and even encouraged amongst students but anyone who made the mistake of trying to trick one of the teachers was punished…most severely. It only took one punishment training session with the Seven Swordsmen to beat the prankster out of anyone.

* * *

It was about three in the afternoon.

Utakata stood behind the front counter of the currently empty Ichiraku Ramen, feeling self-conscious in his apron and paper hat.

It hadn't taken long for him to learn the ropes for working the front counter. It was quite simple really. A customer would walk in and Utakata would greet them with a smile (which was, admittedly not one his strong points) and welcome them to Ichiraku Ramen. He would then ask them what they would like to drink, provide it for them, and then take their order for whoever was working in the kitchen. As they waited for the meal to be brought out it was his job to make small talk and generally make the customer feel welcome. Finally, after the meal, it was Utakata's responsibility to make sure the customer payed for their meal.

Again, quite straightforward.

He was shaken out of his reverie as the Academy teacher he had seen chasing Naruto earlier that day entered the shop.

"Hello," Utakata tried to smile, but felt like it was probably more of a grimace than anything and dropped it, "welcome to Ichiraku Ramen shop. What can I get you to drink?"

"Oh, uh, just water thanks." The teacher said distractedly. He sat down and ran a hand over his face. Utakata noticed that there were still traces of pink and blue in his hair.

He filled a glass with water and set it on the counter in front of the shinobi. He paused, absently wondering what constituted as small talk in Konoha…last mission? No that wouldn't work seeing as he was a civilian. Last confirmed kill? Probably not the best dinner conversation… Maybe the last time…no, no that wouldn't work either…Dear Kami, this was hard.

After a brief but intense internal debate he settled on saying, "Um…how uh…what…why do you look so down?"

The ponytailed Chuunin took a drink of water, "Oh don't worry about it –"

"Utakata."

"Utakata-san. It's nothing you need to bother with."

Silence descended upon the shop again, only broken when Utakata took the shinobi's order. Utakata had no problem with silence; in fact he usually preferred it around people he didn't know. However the Chuunin seemed rather uncomfortable with it, judging by the way he fidgeted around, and alas, it was Utakata's job to make small talk.

"So shinobi-san, why is there paint in your hair?"

The man started, seemingly surprised at being addressed as 'shinobi-san', "Oh, please Utakata-san, call me Iruka."

"Alright Iruka-san, why's there paint in your hair?"

Iruka chuckled lightly and ran a hand over his hair self-consciously, "A couple of students of mine thought it would be funny to set off a paint bomb in my classroom. Class pranksters, I really should have expected it."

Utakata raised an eyebrow in polite question, "you should have expected someone to set off a bomb in your classroom?"

Iruka laughed, "Well maybe not a bomb but Naruto does have a history of using paint in his pranks."

"Naruto?"

Iruka's face closed off slightly and he narrowed his eyes, staring at him suspiciously. It took a moment for Utakata to figure out why. The Chuunin was obviously trying to find out if Utakata shared the same hateful attitude that the rest of the village had when it came to Naruto.

"Hey Utakata! How's it going? Let me get a bowl of—a-ah Iruka-sensei what're you doing here 'ttebayo?"

Naruto stood just inside the shop, still smiling slightly and rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Utakata felt a small surge of chakra before Iruka's head swelled to three times its usual size. As the academy instructor yelled at his wayward student Utakata absently wondered how on earth that big-headed jutsu had come to be. It was, quite possibly, one of the strangest things he had ever seen.

* * *

Dosu glared at the two people Orochimaru-sama had put on his fledgling genin 'team'. He hated them already, some street urchin who thought he was hot shit now and a girl who had the nerve to call him a mummy. He could already tell that he would have to put these peons in their place.

"So you're my teammates huh?" The street urchin smirked confidently, "you don't look like much, but if you do what I say we should do just fine."

The girl bristled, "You're not in charge asshole! I am! I'm the most skilled here so you'll be doing what I say! Got it?"

"Listen to a weak little girl like you? Yeah, right." The urchin scoffed.

Dosu scowled underneath his bandages, "Would both of you shut up? Neither of you are in charge. Orochimaru-sama put me in charge."

"Me take orders from some hunchback? Oh hell no! why don't you go f—AGH!" The urchin doubled over as the 'hunchback' appeared in front of him and buried the melody arm in his stomach.

Dosu used his chakra to re-direct the sound waves generated upon impact back onto the urchin, attacking his inner ear. He removed his fist and turned, bringing up his melody arm to block the senbon that had been thrown at him. Much like before he re-directed the sound waves with his chakra, sending them back towards the girl. Despite the fact the attack was much weaker at this distance it still did its job, making the girl fall to her hands and knees, one ear trickling blood. Dosu straightened up to his true height (Orochimaru-sama had taught him early on how effective psychological warfare could be. Everyone always underestimated someone they perceived as handicapped.) and walked slowly over to the girl. He stared at her dispassionately for a moment, drew back his foot, and then kicked her, hard. She fell onto her side, coughing.

"Orochimaru-sama put me in charge. This matter is not up for debate. I have Orochimaru-sama's permission to kill you if you do not co-operate. Do you understand?"

The girl coughed something that sounded suspiciously like asshole. He kicked her again (to get his point across. It had nothing to do about her previous mummy statement, honest).

* * *

**A/N: I've always had a soft-spot for Dosu. I always thought that Dosu's death was kind of a cop-out. I mean, the kid shows himself to relatively smart and analytical, there is no goddamn way he would have thought attacking Gaara was a good idea. Oh, I have plans for Dosu. Big Plans.**

**Anywho, reviews would be super killer.**

**Later,**

**Pathetic-really**


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